June 5, 2024 @ 2pm EST
A category captain has historically been defined as both 1) a high-performing supplier in a particular category AND 2) an unbiased partner collaborating directly with retailers to share relevant consumer insights, advise on shopper experience and category effectiveness, pilot new opportunities and capabilities and help accelerate mutual growth and profitability.
While this is common for in-store components of a brand’s business, few have pursued or prioritized this role in an omnichannel context.
The omnichannel evolution and rapid growth of eCommerce over the last 10+ years has sparked many brands to develop and activate their own omni capabilities (availability, assortment, content, reviews, retail media etc.) necessary to secure the role of high-performing supplier.
However, few brands to date have pursued or prioritized the role of the unbiased retailer partner, sharing, driving and activating the latest shopper insights, retailer.com UX and category management best practices in conjunction with their capabilities to grow the retailer, the category AND in turn, their own business. And with maturing eCommerce growth, the rise of enterprise merchant teams at retailers, the broader influence of the digital shelf and a shift from retail media investment quotas to retail media investment effectiveness, the call for captains has never been louder.
Here are the key questions the industry faces:
- What does category captaincy mean now for an omni marketplace?
- What should captains be doing on their own to accelerate shopper experience and category growth?
- How should captains advise their retailers and engage them for more support and collaboration?
- How should captains measure their performance and contributions to continuously validate their captaincy?
Join Chris Perry, Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, Amanda Wolff, Board Member & Contributor at firstmovr and Russ Dieringer, Founder & CEO of Stratably to discuss the roadmap of principles and practices for becoming a true Omnichannel Category Captain.
